Love is Like a War
by Psychic Prince
Summary: They say love is like a war. Easy to start. Hard to end. What happens when Ike and Marth, who are so close that they could be brothers, fall in love with one certain princess? One will be confused. One will be hurt. The hurt one may not return from battle. Love is like a war. MarthxPeach, IkexPeach.
1. Chapter 1

**Hiya! I've had this idea for a long time and finally put it on paper! Enjoy!**

They say love is like a war. Easy to start. Hard to end. It leaves one victorious and one defeated. Many may be wounded. Many may not survive. Love is like this. Easy to start. Hard to end. It may leave one elated, the other heartbroken. Some may be lost and confused along the way. Others will be hurt. In a war, only one can come out triumphant. Love is like a war.

War is drawn-out and unpredictable. So is love. The war about to be fought would be long and insecure. Instead of an army, only two certain swordsmen will fight this war. Rather than fighting with swords, they will fight with their hearts. Instead of blood, tears will be shed. The cause of this war? A certain princess that captured their hearts.

One will be victorious. One will be heartbroken. One will be confused. One will be hurt. Love is like a war.

...

A gentle breeze ruffled her long golden hair. A small gust of wind played with his blue bangs. It ruffled the pages of the book in his lap. A half-knitted scarf rested in her delicate hands. Two tiaras gleamed golden in the sunlight. Birds sang softly. Everything was still.

She was leaning on his shoulder. His head rested on hers. They were both in a peaceful slumber. Out of nowhere, a shadow loomed over them.

"Wake up,"the newcomer growled. It prodded the sleeping boy with the blade of its sizable golden sword.

The boy woke with a start, causing the girl to awaken. They stared up at the scowling face of their disturber. Realizing how they'd ended up napping, the two quickly edged away from each other.

"My apologies, Princess Peach! I never intended to doze like that!"the boy squeaked. His voice was rather soft and feminine, but nonetheless, he was a gentleman.

"Apology accepted, Prince Marth. I shouldn't have fallen asleep either,"the girl, Princess Peach, murmured. She dusted her dress off daintily.

The newcomer, a man not much older than the prince, snorted. "I knew I would find you here, Marth. We have a brawl in ten minutes. Unless you were too busy reading girly books to care." It seemed that he was the polar opposite of Marth, with a deep voice, almost like a growl.

"That is not verifiable, Ike. Furthermore, this novel is not at all feminine. It is a cookbook. If you would actually bother to read one, perhaps your fellow Smashers would appreciate you more on your turn to make dinner,"the prince primly replied, getting up and holding out his hand to Peach.

She gracefully accepted Marth's hand and, with his help, stood up. In reality, Peach was at least a head shorter than him. "Thank you, Prince Marth." He opened his mouth to say something, but Ike was faster. He hastily grabbed Marth and slung him over his shoulder, as if he weighed no more than a sack of rice.

"Ike Greil! Let me down this instant!"Marth cried, struggling against Ike. No use. His grip was as tough as iron.

"We've got a brawl to get to,"Ike responded, and with that, went into the Smash Mansion.

…

Three minutes later, Marth and Ike had finished their brawl. Marth stormed up to Ike and stared down on him.

"Whatever was that for? You have embarrassed me in front of the whole Mansion!"Marth hissed. It infuriated him that Ike only shrugged. Narrowing his eyes, Marth stormed away.

Ike made a mental note to himself that he had to do something about Marth's height. It seemed that even though the prince was younger, Marth was getting taller than Ike.

Maybe the only thing in common between them was that they were both spectacular swordsmen. Ike had dark blue hair. Marth's was light. Ike was muscular, yet slower and heavier, while Marth was faster, lighter, and had a more willowy, slim body. Ike was one of the most masculine men you could meet. Marth was the most feminine. Ike had no concern with formalities and manners. Marth practically _breathed _conduct. If Marth was water, Ike was fire. If Ike was earth, Marth was air. They were so different, yet, they were best friends. They were so close, in their hearts, they were really brothers.

A soft voice interrupted Ike from his thoughts. "Hello, Ike."

If it had been Marth the voice had snuck up on, the prince would've jumped at least a foot into the air before regaining his composure. Not Ike. The mercenary slowly turned around to face, or rather, look down on, Peach. She tilted her head up slightly.

"Hey, Peach,"Ike sniffed. Unlike Marth, Ike didn't care that the princess was a royal. He just treated her like anyone else, and she seemed to like it that way. "Need anything from me or something?"

Peach laughed. "No, I'm just looking for Marth."

"Why?" Ike narrowed his eyes. He knew that Peach and Marth were close, since they had similar interests and personalities. But for some reason, Ike felt... Strange around Peach recently. When Marth and Peach were together, he had strange feelings. It was like someone was putting pressure on his heart and mind, and soon, he would approach them and scowl.

"Oh... I just wanted to talk,"Peach replied lightly.

"He's in our room." Ike and Marth were roommates. "I'll leave you to talk about your _girl _stuff." He turned on his heel and stalked away.

…

Peach knocked on the Fire Emblem door.

"Come in,"a voice sounded from inside.

"Marth?" Peach stepped into the room, only to nearly trip over a figure hunched over.

Marth crouched, hands flying, picking up Ike's dirty laundry that lay strewn across the floor. "Forgive me, but I was attempting to clean Ike's side of the room..." He got up and stared in obvious disgust.

"It's all right." Peach looked around the room.

Despite Marth's attempts, Ike's side of the room still looked incredibly disorganized. Clothes littered the floor, as well as books and papers. His bed was still unmade, the blanket on the floor. On the other hand, Marth's side was impeccably clean. It was almost scary. The bed was neatly made, the books in alphabetical order on the shelf, with the English volumes on the top, and the Japanese ones on the bottom. His clothes were either in the hamper, or in the closet, and even the ones hanging were in rainbow color order.

Peach only sighed.

"Ahem, did you need me for something, Peach?"Marth coughed.

"Would you like to talk over a cup of tea?"

The prince frowned. "Ike will make fun of me." Despite this, Marth followed Peach outside, and closed the door behind him.

…

"What's wrong with me?" Ike stared at the group of guys assembled around him. Link, Meta Knight, Fox, Falco, and Lucario stared back.

Link looked blank. "Well, I've never seen you this way before."

Meta Knight scowled. Or at least Ike _thought _he scowled, under that mask. "There is only one reason I can think of to describe your predicament." His deep, growly voice hung in the air for a second, letting the others to let this information sink in.

Fox blinked. "Homesickness?"

"Claustrophobia?"Falco offered.

"Cancer?!"Link cried.

Lucario and Meta Knight remained silent, only rolling their eyes. It seemed that everyone there were complete nitwits except for them.

"Ike, I think I know why you feel this way,"Lucario murmured. He put both of his paws together in front of his chest, making the aura surrounding them glow brighter.

"Edgy, something I'd call nervousness, and yes, envy. This is how you feel around Peach, and when Peach is around Marth." Meta Knight looked at Ike for confirmation.

"Yeah."

Lucario and Meta Knight looked at each other. "Ike. What you feel for Peach. It's love."

**Ohh, cliffhanger!**

**So... Review? Please?  
**

**With this chapter off my back, I can write another one!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Here's chapter 2!**

Ike looked startled. "Love?"he breathed, his eyes wide.

Link looked confused. "Ike? Love?" He chuckled, "Well, well, well, Ike! I never knew you had this side to you!"

Even Fox and Falco looked slightly amused.

"Well, we'll leave you to think,"Lucario murmured. Promptly, he and Meta Knight dragged the others away.

_Am I really in love with Peach?How could this happen? We're like opposites. _Ike thought, _But then again... They say opposites attract. _Ike knew what he felt towards Peach now. He knew that he was in love.

…

Marth bid farewell to Peach and started to walk down the halls of the mansion.

_That was quite nice,_ he concluded to himself, _Talking to Peach always makes me feel a bit better..._

He sighed, and, opening a door, walked out to the backyard. He had always loved Peach. Ever since he met her. It was just her sweet, gentle, understanding personality that made him just melt on the inside.

"Konnichiwa, Marth!"

The prince looked down to see two bright violet eyes staring up at him.

"Konnichiwa, Ness,"he replied, smiling.

Ness and Marth formed a tight bond after Ness taught Marth how to speak English. When he first arrived, the prince didn't know a single word of English. Despite his own Japanese accent, Ness made sure that the Altean learned English, _with _no accent. It was quite a feat, really.

The psychic boy beamed. "O genki desu ka? What's up?"

"You know you just repeated yourself, just in different languages,"Marth chuckled.

"Aw, one language itself is no fun."

Marth opened his mouth to say something, but narrowed his eyes when he noticed Ness staring intently at him. The prince looked down to see that their feet were purposefully touching.

"Ness! Cease your mind-reading immediately!"he cried.

Ness and Lucas could mind-read, but only if they had physical contact with the other person.

The boy smirked. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Marth, still haven't gotten over your fear of Peach? Or rather, fear of _telling _Peach?"

"Do not breath a word of this to anyone else, or I will _personally_-"

Ness threw his arms out into the air. "Okay,"he said, nodding his head.

Marth was going to say something else, but a small voice calling to Ness interrupted him. "Ness! Where are you?"

"Coming, Lucas! I'll be there in a pulse!" Ness winked at Marth, and dashed away.

Because of his accent, Ness couldn't say "flash". Instead, it sounded a lot like "pulse". Truth to be told, Marth was grateful that he _didn't _have an accent.

The prince only sighed. Ness was right. He had to get over his fear of telling Peach that... He loved her.

…

Peach stepped lightly down the hall. She turned towards her dorm that she shared with Zelda, when she heard hushed voices.

"I'm _positive _that Ike likes Peach." Zelda. What was her best friend talking about?

"I'm leaning more towards Marth,"someone else drawled. Samus. Or rather, Zero-Suit Samus.

"Jigglypuff!" No doubt who _that _was.

"Well-"

Peach chose that moment to barge in. "Why hello, Zelda, Samus, and Jigglypuff!" Even though she wore a smile while saying this, her voice was a bit cold.

"We, ah- Gotta go!" Samus took Jigglypuff and sped past Peach.

Zelda had a guilty look on her face. "Look, it's not what it seems..."

Peach ignored her.

To be honest, Peach never thought about her personal feelings anymore. She had better things to think about.

She recalled the first day she met Marth.

_Master Hand invited certain characters to the Smash Mansion. From a distance, Peach had noticed the slim, slightly effeminate boy casting quick, shy glances at her. _Strange_, she'd thought at the time. He had blue hair and wore a navy blue cape. What intrigued her most, though, was his tiara. It didn't really look like a tiara, it was a plain gold headband with a bright blue stone embedded in the center. Truthfully, Peach thought he was a girl at first._

"_Hello, miss! What's your name?"she'd asked in a friendly way._

"_M-Miss? You believe that I am a... Girl?" The newcomer blinked incredulously._

"_You're not a girl?"_

_The newcomer looked quite insulted. "Everyone here is calling me a girl. Even if I _look _feminine, that does not mean I am not a boy."_

"_Forgive me. My name is Peach. Princess Peach."_

"_I am Prince Marth of Altea."_

Later, Peach and Marth had a little misunderstanding. She smiled and laughed at the memory.

_Peach had just finished taking a shower when she saw Marth standing there, picking up Zelda's brush._

"_Oh. Hello, Princess. Zelda sent me for her brush,"Marth said, not looking at her._

"_Do you _mind_?!"she'd shrieked, pulling the towel closer to her._

"_Not at all. I don't mind at all." Marth calmly cast one glance at her, and exited the room._

Peach remembered how livid she'd been. For the first month the guys in the Mansion didn't believe that Marth was a boy, so they kept following him around. Finally, the prince had it, but no amount of coaxing, threatening, or pleading could make them stop. So, he resorted to ignorance. Peach giggled at the memory. Then, there was Ike.

_She met him in the Training Room, where he was slicing up the poor Sandbag._

"_Hello? What are you doing?!"Peach had called._

_The man didn't turn around. "What does it look like?"_

"_Ah, it looks like you're murdering the poor Sandbag."_

_He stopped, turning around. Peach noted that his sword was unnaturally big. Much, much bigger than Marth's._

"_Whattya want?" Peach had winced. His voice was like a growl. _

"_Nothing. I was just... Coming to train,"she'd replied._

"_Well, what're you waiting for?" He turned back and continued his relentless attack on the Sandbag._

_Peach ended up just watching him train, learning later that his name was Ike, and that he was a mercenary from Crimea._

Peach fell back on her bed. She closed her eyes, and was pulled into old memories.

…

Meta Knight stood outside of Ike and Marth's room. Inside, he could hear Ike trying to keep his temper under control as he talked to Marth.

"I know how you feel about Peach. I do not ignore your actions." Meta Knight heard Marth talk in a calm voice. He narrowed his yellow eyes and kept listening.

"Then stay away from her!"Ike snarled.

"Would you stop to think and consider that..." Marth paused. "I cared for her first. You knew that."

Meta Knight heard an angry huff from Ike. "Whatever. So what? You lost your chance. Why? You didn't have the guts to voice your feelings. You didn't man up like I told you."

Marth didn't say anything back. Meta Knight heard footsteps approaching, and quickly hid behind a door. Marth came out, fists clenched, and even though Meta Knight was rather far away, he thought he saw a small tear roll down the prince's cheek.

_This is it. _Meta Knight thought grimly. _The war between Ike and Marth has begun. _

Yes, indeed. The war has just begun.

**Dun dun! Meta Knight is right!  
**

**Sooo... Reviews? Yes please!  
**

**I'll get the next chapter up ASAP!  
**

**-Psychic Prince  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys (and gals!)! Sorry if this chapter seems too short, but I have already have an interesting ending coming up. And I can't wait to get there!**

Ike was irate. He felt angry at Marth for being such a wimp. He felt angry at Marth for loving Peach first. He felt angry at Marth for just being Marth. But most of all, he was angry at himself. For hurting Marth. His best friend. His almost-brother.

The mercenary closed his eyes and flopped onto his bed. _It's all so complicated. The only time I felt _this _stressed was... When I fought a war._

…

Peach sat at the "girl's table" during lunch. Zelda avoided her glare, as well as Samus and Jigglypuff. Nana looked confused.

"Did I miss out on something?"the female Ice Climber asked.

"Oh, it's nothing,"Peach sniffed. She heard laughing, and looked up.

Marth was standing at the kitchen door, practically juggling plates of food in his hands. He looked fine except... That pink and purple apron he was wearing. With flowers. And lace. And a logo across the front that read: "Kiss the Cook".

Peach gaped. The rest of the Mansion nearly died of laughter.

"What is it?" Marth frowned.

"Y-Your apron!"Link shrieked, holding his sides. Mario nearly fell out of his chair. Pokemon Trainer laughed so hard that he started to hiccup. Pit was rolling on the floor, gasping for breath.

"Is it wrong that I take necessary precautions to keep myself clean?" The prince looked genuinely hurt.

Peach stood up. "Here, I'll help you carry those plates."

Before she took a plate, Peach did something she never thought she would. It was as if someone else was controlling her body, although she knew that would be impossible. The princess stood up on tiptoe and gently pecked Marth on the cheek before taking half of the plates and walking away.

The whole dining room whooped. Marth looked flabbergasted, his face beet red. Ike glowered at him.

"What? Your apron clearly says, 'Kiss the Cook',"Peach said innocently as she put the last plate down.

"Indeed it does,"the shocked prince choked out, "Indeed it does."

…

Marth stared at his mirror. Lunch had ended. He gently reached up and touched the very spot where Peach kissed him.

_I will probably never wash this cheek again._

He sighed. Despite all of that embarrassment over his apron, Marth couldn't deny that he loved every moment of that kiss. The Altean narrowed his eyes wonderingly.

_Does this mean... That Peach... Might love me?_

Marth put his left hand over his heart, and took a deep breath. He knew one thing for sure. Ike wasn't going to let this go very easily. For sure.

The prince paced his room, eventually stopping and pulling a small journal out of the bookshelf. It wasn't exactly a diary, but that's what Ike liked to call it. He'd gotten it from Link, who thought it was unmanly to keep a journal, and wrote in it every day.

He took a pen, and, in neat cursive, wrote out the thoughts in his mind and heart.

…

Ike scowled at Marth. The prince stared back. They stood, face-to-face, outside. The sun shone, not matching the mood of the two swordsmen.

"What is your deal?"

"What's _your _deal?"

"Why must you hurt me so?"

"Why do you have to do that to me?"

"Why can we not stop?"

"Why don't we just have Peach choose one of us?"

Marth glared at Ike. "Well, this is getting us nowhere."

"That's one thing we can agree on."

The prince sighed and looked up. "See here, Ike... I wanted to say that I am sorry. I have decided to-"

Ike knew what Marth would say. He would say that he was sorry. That he was going to tell Peach the truth, and steal her heart. Well, that would _never _happen. There was only one way to solve this. Only one can return victorious.

And so, Ike tackled Marth.

…

Peach paced outside, trying to sort out her feelings.

Yes, she admired Ike. He was strong, an excellent fighter, brave, yet far from unsympathetic. She knew that under all that bluntness, he was a warm-hearted person.

Yet, she couldn't figure out her feelings for Marth. Yes, she'd kissed him in front of the whole Mansion. He was gentle, loving, understanding, and thoughtful.

Peach stopped pacing abruptly when she heard leaves rustling. Out of the blue, Meta Knight appeared.

"It's time for you to make a choice. Go now, or the two will start a battle, and leave a scar that will be imprinted on their lives forever."

**Hmm... Well, I feel like this chapter is not as good as my other ones...  
**

**But the ending will be good! Pinkie promise!  
**

**Plus, I would appreciate a review.  
**

**- Psychic Prince  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hullo! This is probably the second to last chapter, but who knows? Warning: Someone will be terribly injured. You have been warned. Also, this chapter may seem a bit IkexMarth-ish, but it's supposed to be _brotherly _love! Enjoy!**

Marth immediately fell onto the grass, out of surprise, and yes, he was no match for Ike's strength. Not wanting to hurt Ike, he dodged and blocked oncoming attacks, but he knew he couldn't keep this up any longer.

"Why?" Marth held his arm up to block Ike's fist from contacting his face.

Ike didn't answer. He wore an expression on his face that Marth hadn't seen before. Hurt. Anger. Frustration. Betrayal. But most of all, confusion. Yes. Ike was confused. And he was channeling confusion into hurt.

"Ike!" It was Peach. Thank God.

The mercenary, taken by surprise, loosened his grip on Marth, and he quickly rolled out from under his grasp. Marth dusted himself off before whipping around to face Ike again.

"Go away, Peach. We have something to settle." Ike stepped back, trying to put distance between him and Peach.

That's when Marth saw it. The tiny snare. It started with a small coil of rope, snaking through the grass, and leading up to a nearby tree. An arrow rested nearby, connected to the rope, waiting to fire.

He screamed, "Ike! Stop _now_!"

No use. Ike stepped on the snare, and an arrow shot forward, towards Ike's chest.

…

Ike barely had time to register what happened. He'd stepped on a rope, and suddenly, he saw his life flash before his eyes.

He saw his mother. His father. His sister. Crimea. Coming to the Smash Mansion. Meeting Peach. Meeting Marth, the younger brother he never had. He remembered it all. He closed his eyes, waiting for impact.

But the arrow never made contact with his body. Ike opened his eyes when he heard a feeble cry of agony, and a navy blue cape swoosh in front of him. The first thing he saw was the glint of a golden tiara with a blue stone embedded in the center.

It was Marth. Somehow, the prince sprinted, and threw himself in front of Ike, as if shielding him. He was. It worked. And now, Marth's chances of survival were paper-thin.

"_Marth! You imbecile!_"Ike howled, fell down on his knees, and gently took Marth's head in his lap.

Peach stared in horror, until Ike snarled, "Get help. _NOW_!"

She nodded, and ran as fast as she possibly could to find Dr. Mario. Tears ran down her cheeks as she did.

Ike looked down at Marth again.

He took short, shallow breaths, and his eyes were beginning to cloud over. The arrow hit him just between his chest and stomach, and now, his blue clothes were starting to seep red. The prince smiled weakly.

"H-Hello, Ike,"he whispered.

"Marth! You fool! How could you?"Ike cried. He blindly searched for Marth's hand and gripped it tightly.

"Just wanted... To protect... My brother,"Marth breathed, staring up into Ike's anguished face.

"Yeah, well, it worked." Ike felt hot tears threatening to spill over.

Marth murmured, "Now, Ike. Don't... Cry... You would not want... My last memory of you... To be when you were... Sobbing... I always... want to remember... You as a strong... brave mercenary." Marth coughed, his words barely audible.

"You won't die, Marth. I forbid it! Now stop talking. You'll waste your energy," Ike said, his voice cracking.

Marth didn't listen. "R-read my diary. It is... Yours now. Write in it... Everyday... As I have. When I die... Take my tiara... My sister's tiara... And give it to... A person close to you... Your family member... Your own child perhaps..."

"I told you already, Marth, you won't die! I won't ever have to do that!"Ike growled. He heard Peach returning, along with several others. "See? Peach is back. You have to live!"

The prince smiled again. "Tell Peach... That I loved her. And... Ike... Just like I loved my parents... And Elice... I loved you too, my brother."

Marth closed his eyes, and went limp in Ike's arms. Then, Ike cried. Big, hot tears ran down his cheeks, and splashed onto Marth's. Ike sat there, sobbing, shoulders heaving, because... His younger brother had sacrificed himself for him.

…

Peach sat in the waiting room of the infirmary. Marth couldn't be dead. He couldn't!

Dr. Mario came out, and stood in front of Peach and Ike. "Well, he's still alive."

"He is? Can I see him? Talk to him?"Ike nearly shouted. His hands were shaking.

"You can see him, but not talk to him. You see, Marth... Well, he's in a coma. There's a sixty percent chance he won't wake up, and a ninety-five percent chance that if he does wake up, he'll lose his memory. Plus, there is a ninety-seven percent chance that he will only remember Ike and being invited to the Smash Mansion. Does that answer your question?" Dr. Mario stared at Ike.

The mercenary slumped over, eyes filled with shock.

Peach gazed at Dr. Mario, sorrow filling her gaze. "Anything else we need to know?"

The doctor thought. "Well, his heart stopped a couple times, he's weak, and, before we saved him, he was this close to death." He held up his index finger and thumb and squeezed them together until the space between them was much less than a millimeter.

Before Peach could reply, Ike stood up and coldly regarded Dr. Mario. "Well, I'm going to see him now."

…

Ike cautiously entered the more or less sanitary infirmary room. There was Marth, small and pale underneath a very thick white blanket, connected to at least ten different machines.

The mercenary felt tears threatening to spill over his cheeks again, but he sucked it up and approached Marth. "See? I told you that you wouldn't die. I forbade you, remember?"he whispered, taking Marth's cold, fragile hand. "Just wake up already, would you? Then everything can go back to the way it was."

He vaguely heard Peach enter the room. She stood next to Ike, hands trembling. He let go of Marth's hand, took Peach's, and put her hand in Marth's. She looked up at him wonderingly.

"Peach. Marth told me... To tell you that... He loved you. I told him I would tell you."

The princess nodded, tears trickling down her cheeks. "I... I love you too, Marth."

Ike knew now that he made everything right. At least, for now. He knew that yes, he loved Peach, but he loved Marth more. He loved Marth more, because family meant more than anything to him. He knew that now.

…

Ness stared at Marth. He was still out cold in that coma. It had been five days already. Surely, surely Marth would wake up.

"Marsu... Kibun to wa yoi desu ka?"Ness whispered.

Marth had to wake up. He just had to.

…

Ike slowly walked into his room for the first time in five days. Everyday, all he did was watch Marth, eat, talk to Marth, sleep, go to the restroom occasionally, and talk to Peach (while watching Marth).

He spied Marth's diary on his bed, and, remembering his words, opened it, and began to read.

The journal, or diary, was like a full-blown autobiography. Marth's neat handwriting captured every single detail of the Smash Mansion, including how Link's green hat resembled a nightcap sometimes, or how Lucas's hair always seemed to stick up no matter what. But, in every entry, Peach was mentioned, whether it was a good or heartbreaking comment. Ike soon reached the last entry, the day Marth got injured.

_Dear Diary/Journal,_

_ It hurts me to see Ike like this. I do not want my best friend to feel this way. Nor do I want to put any burden on Peach. Ness and Ike were right; I should have told her my true feelings a long time ago. Now, it is too late. I now know what I must do. I will tell Ike today that I am giving up on love. For him. Because even though it hurts, it hurts more to see Ike get hurt._

_Marth_

Ike stared, dumbfounded, at the letter in front of him. Marth really did care for him. And it was all Ike's fault for Marth's injury.

He slowly wrote down everything that happened on the next page, apologizing to Marth. Then, he slowly got up and walked down to the infirmary once again.

Ness, Lucas, Meta Knight, Link, Peach, Lucario, and several others were crammed in there. It seemed like three-fourths of the Mansion came to see Marth.

Link looked terrible. "I set that trap,"he whispered, "But I was trying to get that pesky opossum that kept scaring Toon Link..."

Ike shook his head. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have attacked Marth in the first place. I'm to blame."

Ness suddenly made a strangled noise, as if Bowser suddenly sat on him. Ike rushed to Marth's side.

The prince coughed, and opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. The whole room held their breath. The birds stopped singing. It was as if the world itself stopped spinning.

Turning to Ike, Marth suddenly looked like he remembered something. He grinned.

Ike tried to say something, but it felt like he had lost his voice. All he managed was a small gasp. Marth, confused, decided to have the first say.

"Ohayo, Aiku! O genki desu ka? Watashi wa koko de nani o shi teru no? Korera no hitobito ga daredearu?"

**Okay, first things first. Translations:  
**

**Ness says: "Marth... How are you feeling?"  
**

**Marth says: "Good morning, Ike! How are you? What am I doing here? Who are these people?"  
**

**The translations may not be exact, but I tried.  
**

**Anyways- Oh no! Poor Marf lost his memory! What will happen?!  
**

**I'll write and post the next chapter as soon as I can!  
**

**- Psychic Prince  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, everyone! This is the last chapter of this fanfic! Enjoy!**

Marth came back from brawling Sonic and Diddy Kong. He didn't know why, but it seemed as if everyone _pitied _him. They always went easy on him.

It had been a month since the prince woke up in the infirmary. He felt fine. It was just that... He couldn't understand anyone but the small capped boy, and he couldn't remember how he got injured. He didn't know anybody there, save for Ike.

Slowly, he learned that the capped boy was Ness, and the gracious princess was Peach. He learned everyone's names by now. He knew that nobody could really understand him, so he resorted to silence, only talking to Ness.

To be honest, Marth felt bad for putting so much burden on the small twelve-year-old. Ness was trying to teach Marth how to speak English. He was also brawling in between, translating for Marth when he could, and still tried to be a kid, playing with Toon Link and Lucas, playing pranks on the older brawlers.

Marth had a feeling something big happened before he woke up in the infirmary with no memory of what happened before. And he was determined to regain his memory.

…

Peach sat under the very tree she'd fallen asleep under. It was all too cruel. Just when she'd sorted out her feelings, Marth lost his memory.

Lost in thought, the princess almost didn't notice someone walk up to her.

"Oh. Hello, Marth."

The prince nodded his salutations and sat down next to her. She noticed that his tiara was a bit crooked.

"Your tiara-"

Marth's calm expression changed to looking insulted. "Everyone here is calling me a girl. Even if I _look_ feminine, that does not mean I am not a boy." He stopped talking, and shook his head violently, as if confused.

Those very words took Peach back in time to when Marth said the same exact words to her. "Marth?"

The Altean blinked. "Hai?"

"Did you just... Speak?"

The confused swordsman shook his head, then nodded, then resorted to shaking his head again.

Peach knew one thing for sure. Maybe something could trigger Marth's memory. She just needed to find out what.

…

Marth opened the door to his room. Ike wasn't there. Good. He could have time to think.

He flopped onto his (incredibly clean) bed, and stared up at the ceiling. Okay, he _did _say some pretty weird things to Peach. And Ike. He recalled that afternoon.

"_Konnichiwa, Aiku!"_

"_Hey, Marth." The mercenary raised his eyebrows at him._

_Ike acted cold to him, but Marth could see pain in his eyes._

"_Oh yeah, I suggest that you stay away from-"Ike started._

_Suddenly Marth blurted out, "Would you stop to think and consider that... I cared for her first. You knew that." The prince was confused. Why did he say that?_

_Ike's eyes widened. "Marth! Say something! Can you remember that day?" He leaped over and took Marth by the shoulders._

_Marth shook his head, scared, and squeaked, "N-Nani?"_

_Ike's eyes clouded over with grief, and he let go of Marth. "Oh."_

Marth frowned. He stared at Ike's side of the room. Messy. Disgusting. Disorganized. _Ugh._

He spied a small notebook under his roommate's bed. Out of curiosity, Marth reached down and pulled it out. He opened it up. It was in English only, but Marth knew how to read most words now. It was just a matter of speaking the language.

_Dear Diary/Journal,_

_I'm not sure of what I should do. I have an extremely messy roommate. On the bright side, my English is improving. Ness is really helping me a lot. I had my first brawl today. I won! Although, I did feel bad knocking the others off of the stage... Peach congratulated me today. I don't know why, but I feel nervous and shy around her. It must be nerves of meeting new people._

_Marth_

Marth blinked. How come he couldn't remember this stuff? As he read on, he found that he knew how to speak English. His best friend was Ike. Ness looked up to him. He loved Peach. But it was all too confusing! How could he not remember anything? Then, he came to an entry from about a month ago. It was written rather sloppily, with handwriting that looked like a scrawl, and rather difficult to read.

_Dear, uh, Diary?_

_I'm so sorry, Marth. I'm just so sorry. I was such a dunce. Now, you're in a coma. Because of me. You see, we were fighting out in the front of the Mansion. I thought I loved Peach. I knew you really did. Then, I stepped on a trap, and you blocked it from hitting me. Yes, you sacrificed yourself to save me from that cursed arrow. You went unconscious in my arms. Peach wept for you. The whole Mansion wasn't the same. Even the bad guys were quiet. Ness cried, along with Lucas, Toon, and the other children. They really cared for you, Marth. Me? I'm guilty beyond repair. I'm broken beyond repair. Most of all, I realized that I made a terrible mistake. I now know that I loved you as a family member. And family is what matters most to me. You mattered more to me than Peach did. And I caused your injury. I'm so sorry, Marth. I not only lost a friend now... I lost the little brother that I never had._

_Ike_

Marth had a bit of a hard time reading the last bit. The page was stained with something that looked like water... Or tears. Splotches of tears. His eyes widened, and in a rush, he remembered.

Meeting Peach. Meeting Ike. Loving Peach. Being best friends with Ike. Being looked up upon by Ness. Learning English. Brawling. Getting along with everyone. The accident. Ike's tears when he fell unconscious.

_I remember everything._

…

Ike sat with Peach, staring sorrowfully into the horizon. The sky was turning a light pink, a rather beautiful color. The trees sighed in the wind. He vaguely heard footsteps approaching, and fast.

Peach let out a squeak of shock.

Marth stood there. His eyes were filled with heartache, and in one graceful motion, he leaned down and took Peach's face in his delicate hands.

"I remember everything." He turned his head slightly to glance at Ike. The mercenary nodded, a smile briefly crossing his face.

Marth turned back to the shocked Peach, swiftly leaned forward, and gently kissed her.

A single tear trickled down Peach's cheek, and she broke away, and buried her head in his chest.

Ike slowly got up, crouched down, and pulled the two of them into an embrace.

…

Love is like a war. Easy to start. Hard to end. It leaves one victorious and one defeated. Many may be wounded. Many may not survive. Love is like this. Easy to start. Hard to end. It may leave one elated, the other heartbroken. Some may be lost and confused along the way. Others will be hurt. In a war, only one can come out triumphant. Love is like a war.

And yet, love is impossible to forget. Just like war. It may leave devastation, but for war, every end is a new beginning. It is the same with love. For every end, there is a beginning. Love is like a war.

**I would appreciate a review.  
**

**I really enjoyed writing this fanfic! This fanfic was my first with chapters, my first ever fanfic was just a oneshot. I hope you enjoyed reading this!  
**

**Until next time...  
**

**- Psychic Prince  
**


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